Sensational Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

4 oz. cream cheese
1 c. plus 1 T. milk
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 c. cool whip
1 lg. pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix
1 (16 oz) pumpkin pie filling
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/4 t. cloves
1 graham cracker pie crust

Mix cream cheese, 1 T. milk and sugar until smooth. Stir in cool whip by hand. Spread on bottom of crust.

Pour 1 c. milk into mixing bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat until well blended. Add pumpkin and spices. Mix well. Spread over cream cheese layer.

Add a little cool whip on top and refrigerate.

serves 8

Moose Munch!

During a recent visit to Harry and David while on vacation, my children were introduced to "Moose Munch." This is Harry and David's name for a yummy concoction of popcorn, nuts, chocolate and more. Rather than buy them a bag of "Moose Munch", I decided to try to copy it. The results of my endeavor are recorded here.

I started by making caramel popcorn. You can use plain microwave popcorn for your recipe, but I had fun making it the way I remember my Mother doing it: on the stove!


You need 1 to 2 gallons of prepared popcorn. Put the popcorn in a large bowl and set aside.

In a sauce pan combine 2 c. brown sugar, 1 c. butter and 1/2 c. corn or maple syrup.

Bring to a boil and allow to slow boil for 5 minutes without stirring.


After 5 minutes, remove from heat and add 1/2 t. baking soda, 1/2 t. salt, and 1 t. vanilla.

Pour this ooey-gooey brew over the popcorn and toss. Then, lay the coated popcorn on a greased cookie sheet (or the cooking world's greatest invention: The DeMarle Silpat).


Doesn't that ooey-gooey golden glow just make you salivate? Go start popping your popcorn now and you can have some of your own in about an hour!

Place in a 250 degree oven and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.



Set aside your caramel popcorn for now and compile the rest of your Moose Munch ingredients. You can really add in whatever you want here. I chose mini marshmallows, peanuts, and chocolate chips. I imagine that you can also use pieces of graham crackers, almonds, pecans, butterscotch chips, m&ms, and pretzels.

Spread half of the caramel popcorn in a single layer on waxed paper (or the cooking world's greatest invention: The DeMarle Silpat). Add the nuts, pretzels, and whatever else you prefer to the popcorn.

Melt chocolate coating (or almond bark or chocolate chips or any other thing your creative self wants to melt) and pour over the popcorn. My kiddos and I grouped the popcorn, nuts, etc. into clumps which I then coated with chocolate.





However, I think next time (and there WILL be a next time), I will just pour the chocolate over the entire layer.

After the chocolate coating hardens, break it apart in to bite size pieces. Combine it with the other half of the caramel popcorn and store in large storage bags.



This very yummy and addictive snack is a big hit with the kiddos and would be great for class parties, fall festivals and more!

One other note: I think I've decided to leave out the mini marshmallows next time. After a couple of days of storage, they seem to make the other ingredients soft and stale. I like snacks like this on the crunchy side!

Pumpkin Dip!

It's that time of year: the time when all the great holiday recipes are brought out of storage. In honor of the fall season, I am posting one of my all-time favorite harvest recipes.

This recipe was given to me by my friend, Sherry, a co-worker of mine when I lived in North Carolina. This dip was a favorite of the teacher workroom, and everyone always got excited when Sherry brought this!

2 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
15 oz. pumpkin pie mix
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ginger

Mix sugar and cream cheese. Add pumpkin mix, cinnamon and ginger.

Serve with ginger snaps, and TRY to refrain from eating the whole batch yourself!

If taking to a function (or teacher workroom), you may need to double this recipe.

Taco Salad

Last night I prepared taco salad for my family and the two other families in our supper co-op. This recipe came from Nan's recipe blog which you can find here. I made some slight modifications to the recipe, so am recording it all here (if I don't record it somewhere, I will forget what I did).

Here is a list of ingredients needed:

lettuce (I mixed bagged Romaine lettuce with iceberg)

1 to 1 1/2 c. grated cheese ( I used low fat mild cheddar)

1 can black beans (rinsed, of course)

sliced olives

chopped onions

sliced avocados

cooked chicken

tortilla or corn chips


Nan used a store-bought rotisserie chicken! Those things are yummy and convenient, but since I was cooking for 3 families, I opted for a more economical route. I bought chicken leg quarters and after consulting Main Street Mom, used this recipe (from the Oct. 2008 issue of Everyday Food) to give it a Mexican flavor:

In a slow cooker, combine chicken, 4 garlic cloves (thinly sliced), 1/2 c. salsa, 1 to 2 T. chopped canned chipotle chilis in adobo, 1 T. chili powder, 1 t. salt, and 1/4 t. pepper. Cover; cook on high 4 hours or on low 8 hours.

Transfer chicken to a bowl, and shred, using 2 forks; moisten with cooking juices.

The results of the slow cooking and wonderful spices produces a very tasty chicken that can be used for tacos, quesadillas , etc.

To make the taco salad, place chips on a plate or bowl and top with all other ingredients. Then, pour this dressing over it all:

1/2 c. Ranch dressing

1/2 c. salsa

1/4 c. sour cream

3-5 shakes of Tabasco sauce

1 can diced green chilis


Combine all ingredients and stir.

Then get ready to "slap your mamma!" (never heard that phrase? you must not live down south!)

Italian Spread

1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. mayo
2 T parmesan cheese
1 t. dried basil
1/2 t. oregano
1 clove garlic

blend all ingredients. spread on french or sourdough bread, then broil.

Yammy Muffins

I found this recipe today in an old cookbook. I was intrigued by its ingredients and wanted to try them out on my kiddos. I was very pleased that the kiddos loved them!

1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. skim milk
1 (15 oz) can yams, drained and mashed
1 T. grated orange rind
1/3 c. orange juice
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/3 c. canola oil
1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine together the dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine milk, yams, orange rind, orange juice, egg, egg white, oil, and vanilla.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Spoon the batter into muffin pans lined with a paper cup or coated with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are done.

Andrea Howard's Pistachio Nut Bundt Cake

This mild cake uses simple ingredients,
is not overly sweet and can easily be sliced and served as a finger-friendly dessert.

1 (18.25 oz) package yellow cake mix
2 (3.4oz) packages instant pistachio pudding
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9 inch bundt pan.
Stir together cake mix and instant pudding. Add sour cream, oil and
eggs, mix well. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Combine
the brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon, sprinkle over the batter in the
pan. Cover with the remaining batter.
Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, until cake springs back when
lightly touched. Cool for 15 minutes in pan before inverting onto a wire
rack to cool completely. When cake is cooled, dust with confectioners'
sugar. Makes 12 servings.